Apple's macOS Screen Sharing Flaw Is Being Exploited in the Wild

The screen sharing flaw that Apple rushed out a fix for earlier this month has already been exploited in the wild, according to the Netherlands' National Cyber Security Center (NCSC-NL). On August 6, Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.6.1, an update to the ‌macOS Tahoe‌ operating system that came out last year. The update came a little over a week after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.6. In its security support document, Apple said that the update addressed a vulnerability that could allow an attacker to authenticate to Screen Sharing without valid credentials – in short, a bad actor could view a user's Mac screen and remotely take control of their keyboard and mouse. It appears however that hackers have already been taking advantage of the flaw. As first reported by ArsTechnica, the NCSC-NL said that it had been notified of abuse of the vulnerability, "observed on multiple systems on which port 5900 was accessible from the internet." The reason is that when screen sharing is enabled, macOS's firewall intentionally exposes this port. "In all these cases, root had been accessed on the affected system and a Monero crypto miner had been placed," the NCSC-NL added. In other words, a targeted Mac's resources are used to mine cryptocurrency. When pushing the fix – which was also included in macOS Sonoma 14.8.9 and macOS Sequoia 15.7.9 – Apple said it had addressed the authentication issue with "improved state management." Users who have not updated their Macs should do so as soon as possible. Even for those who have updated, use of a VPN is also recommended when screen sharing is active. If you're not sure if your macOS version is up-to-date, you can check by going into your Mac's System Settings and selecting General ➝ Software Update. Popular StoriesWhat's Coming in September: New iPhones, Apple Watches and MoreThursday August 13, 2026 4:20 pm PDT by Juli CloverApple will introduce at least five new devices at its iPhone-centric event next month, and it's also possible we'll get devices waiting on Siri AI like the Apple TV. iPhone 18 Pro The iPhone 18 Pro is going to look like the iPhone 17 Pro, but with a smaller Dynamic Island. It's getting some internal updates, including a new Wide camera with a variable aperture for more control over lighting ...Should You Buy an iPhone 17 Now or Wait for iPhone 18?Friday August 14, 2026 12:15 pm PDT by Juli CloverFor the first time since Apple started selling standard and "Pro" iPhones, we're not going to get an entry-level iPhone model this fall. Apple doesn't plan to release an iPhone 18 in September, and will only launch the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone Ultra. The lower-cost iPhone 18 won't come out until spring 2027. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...iPhone 18 Pro: Pre-Orders and Release DateApple has yet to reveal when the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra will be announced and released, but the dates usually follow a familiar pattern. As usual, the event is expected to take place in the first half of September. Labor Day falls on September 7 this year. The last time the holiday was on that day was in 2020, but the iPhone event that year was delayed until October due to the...